________________
JAINA MONASTIC JURISPRUDENCE the Digambara texts, we have to depend chiefly on the texts grouped under the head 'caraṇānuyoga'. Of these, the Mülācāra of Vattakera belonging to about the beginning of the Christian era is invaluable as it gives many details of monastic life and the prāyaścittas.
Before entering into the details of monastic jurisprudence, it may be worthwhile to summarize the main characteristics of the nature of evidence for the study of the subject. We have already seen that the texts contributing to such a study cover a very wide period. We have, therefore, to present the picture of Jaina monachism as a whole rather than treat it on historical principle. Besides this aspect, some texts are such that they incorporate sometimes older and later strata of contents which make the historical treatment practically impossible unless critically edited editions are forthcoming.
Secondly, as will be further amplified later on, the Digambara and śvetāmbara texts do not differ much in the treatment and working of monastic jurisprudence. For instance, the list of prāyaścittas is more or less the same, save two changes. The Digambaras have 'parihāra' and saddhāna' replacing 'anavatthappā' and 'pārañciya' as given in the Svetāmbara Cheyasuttas. The rest of the details do not basically differ.
Well, we have so far seen very briskly the history of research in Jainology, the nature and controversy regarding the canon and lastly the nature of the source-texts for the study of Jaina monastic jurisprudence. The survey has been very brief, as we have yet to cover the major field that lies ahead of us.
The Spirit of Monastic Rules We have now to see how the rules of monastic conduct were formulated, their basic conceptions and the features and considerations that underlay the making up of such
Jain Education International
For Private & Personal Use Only
www.jainelibrary.org
